92% of Homeowners Use Teflon Pipe Tape Wrong - Here's Why it Leaks 

Pro-press 🤣

Hire a pro. Pay the $$. Let them handle it. It's well worth the expense. (And, no, I'm not a plumber.)

@@PJam2019 Pro press has taken a lot of problems out of plumbing work, what a blessing.

Well, when you are putting on the tape, feed it from the bottom side of the roll ( the side closest to the threads you are taping) . Sounds petty, but if it goes from the outside to the outside like a tape cassette, then it's harder, comes off too much. Flip the tape so it spools off from the side closest, the inside, to the outside of the threads, less frustration and a better job because it's tight.

When applying teflon tape (or even electrical tape) in close quarters, you can roll tape onto something small and round. Such as screw driver, pencil, ratchet socket. This makes a small roll you can apply tape easier.

This one's a biggie

Absolutely correct! Otherwise, especially on pipes smaller than the tape roll, the tape becomes slack.

"Reverse" compared to what?

I was gonna comment the same thing. Like...uh homie, you are still putting it on 'backwards'...

@@brothermine2292 The video correctly shows wrapping the tape clockwise around the pipe with the end facing you. The above comment is about which way you hold the spool of teflon tape similar to the question of if toiler paper should be mounted with end coming out over? or under?. The comment above suggest having the teflon tape spool with the end coming out under the spool so that gentle finger friction on the spool causes tension on the unspooling teflon being wound around the pipe threads. EDIT ADDITION: To follow the above comment suggestion, apply the "Top of the teflon tape" down onto the threads.

That works for electrical tape but really messy and difficult with the thin white stuff, it tends to get all shredded and sticks to itself.

The pencil trick worked great for me…

That also works for me. You can also tear the plastic sides off the tape.

You stop right before 93%

Source: Trust me, Bro

xD I love some of the stuff I read on the Internet.

92% of statistics found on the internet were made up on the spot

He pulled that percentage out of his Arse

I was repairing where someone used a black pipe fitting on a water heater. It was totally dissolving the black pipe fitting. Seen the stainless counterpart at the store and thought it was a great idea. I could not for the life of me get it to seal. I tried variations of paste, different thicknesses of tape, & different number of wraps with the tape. Came to the conclusion that the stainless was too hard and slick to couple with a galvanized pipe being that galvanized and brass was a softer metal that will bend to each other. Was this not the case?

I came to say the exact same thing with the holding and applying of the tape. Poke a finger in the spool and use your fingers to create the tension. You can wrap super fast this way.

I always buy double fittings. Whatever I figure I need, I buy double. Within reason. I can return what I don't use or keep it for the next project/emergency.

That's a pretty good idea. I have three 5-gallon buckets of extra fitting in my storage shed. 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch. Also have a hardware store 1/2 mile from my house that specializes in plumbing and irrigation parts. Just know that if you are going to the work of digging ditches, adding to your irrigation system or maintaining it that you will be better off in the long run by buying quality, commercial grade components. The stuff they sell at convenience stores like Home Depot is made in China and is absolute junk.

Buying an item with the intent of returning is kinda a duck move

‘Pick axe buried pipe detector’ 😂

I think I've had plumbers do that and then charge me for all of them.

Yeah, he's actually unwinding the roll in the wrong direction. You're doing it correctly. It makes it easier to handle.

That is exactly what my thoughts was when I first look at it.

That's how a lot of plumbers do it... It's how I was taught... Every now and then I "flip" my roll out by accident and it bugs the crap outta me trying to keep it from rolling out while I roll

I do the same

5) don't use metal brush on plastic pipes

6) And don't tape the first two threads (because they are tapered)

Also, they are holding the tape spoon incorrectly in the video. You'd need to flip the roll of tape around. This makes an S with the 2 pipes and the tape as opposed to a C like shown in the videos. This allows you to hold the tape tighter and use good tension which is also important then using the tape.

7) Dont use Teflon tape in the first place...

​@@Patrik6920but wrap yourself around the thread!

Yeah he seemed to double tape it. But should it be just one layer one wrap? Like too much isn't really necessary. The direction looked good

The amount of tape you can use and still get the fittings on without excess effort is the right amount of tape. So if it works, its right.

I really appreciate that, thank you

Yep, way easier to keep tension on the roll with your thumb/middle finger that way.

like this: __O, not this: ̅ ̅ O

Same here, I've always put either a dab of anti-seize or dope behind the engagement threads on anything that may need to come apart for maintenance. It doesn't screw with the seal but keeps everything healthy enough to minimize seizing later on.

My goto tape these days, a little more expensive but never have a failed joint, you can also back turn it slightly for an aligned figment

I moved to loctite- cracking stuff

Agreed, I believe if thats the yellowish stuff I have used that on heating hydro lines a lot with no leaks every, even after many years

Rector Seal #5 is the standard ! Great Stuff !

Just remember number 5 is oil based and should not be used on any plastic pipe. It doesn't need Teflon tape . Most plumbers now use Teflon tape and T+2 pipe thread sealant. These products are very pipe type specific . Black iron and galvanized usually use the vibration proof sealant.

@@user-xe8rh9qi7y You should read the label on the can sometime... it says its good for use on plastic pipe also. Been using this stuff for decades. RectorSeal #5

Just don’t get it in some lady’s white carpet. 🤣🤣🤣

I see a lot of guys using both; but I found dope to work mostly better for me, if a bit messier.

@@MichaelCampbell01 I usually only use dope on metal joints especially on gas lines. I prefer teflon tape when going from plastic to metal or plastic to plastic, I've found dope doesn't do very well on plastic fittings but that's just my preference. I've seen quite a few people using both dope and teflon tape, I've tried it once or twice, but meh, just use the pipe dope with the teflon particles in it, works for me. I don't see the need for both tape and dope. I worked with an old scottish dude once, and he insisted on steam lines to use both tape and dope, but I don't do any steam piping anymore.

Pipe joint sealers, tape or dope help to deduce friction to allow assembly. In a perfect world we wouldn't need these things as a properly cut thread will not leak. Using dope and tape is in my opinion is over kill. There is not enough clearance between the surfaces so most of it gets squeezed out of the joint. Can cause other issues too such as cracked fittings, contamination inside the piping.

I'm not so sure...

That’s correct. Dope is for sealing. Also the white tape especially has very little ptfe. It’s not good at sealing. There are tapes with more like the tan tapes, but you should use dope to seal.

You thought wrong. Why would there be friction resistance?

yes agree, it is classified as a lubricant, helps prevent galling and does help fill some voids also

@@bigmacdaddy1234 he thought right. There’s tons of resistance try to thread an old garden hose. Try it with tape. Which is harder. Even better just google “tape vs dope”. Go ahead we’ll wait. Who’s the dope now?

Yes it is a thread lubricant not a thread sealant.

I've started doing this with my DIY jobs after seeing it on replumb's channel, works great! Belt and suspenders haha

Pipe dope is mandatory for iron and steel pipes. Also, on larger threads (like 2" and greater lines) you can skip the teflon and put a piece of string coated in dope around 2-3 threads (and no more) to do the same job. Learned that from a plumber.

Yes @ bwhog . I've been a plumber since 1988 and was a apprentice since 1979. On boiler work ,where we used malleable iron fittings, we would coat lamp wick with pipe dope and wrap the male threads with it . Especially , when you were connecting pipe with new threads to an existing malleable fitting . When tightening the new threads into the old fitting , the threads would cut the string to fill any voids between new pipe threads and old fitting .

I love the Big Blue brand teflon tape in the big rolls. It's never let me down yet.

Over 20 years a Pipefitter and this is the first time I've heard of this stainless steel specific tape. He is also holding the tape roll backwards in the video.

@@esqueue I noticed that also.

I may be wrong, but I'm thinking the special tape he mentions for stainless steel may only be necessary whenever you are connecting those fittings to regular steel or cast iron and whenever water is flowing through them. I think it's to prevent galvanic corrosion. If you ever left something iron sitting on a stainless steel surface and it rained upon it, you'll see the contact with the stainless actually accelerates rusting.

I use blue monster, but I cover the first two threads. Helps protect from gaulding. 4 wraps total. Lots or pressure, heat and overall abuse in the steel industry. Never had a leak... ever

I worked construction for over 40 years and I saw a lot of plumbers do that. They said it made sure the fitting wouldn't leak!!

I've seen steam pipe fitters do this for removal of pipes years later it works !

As plumbers, we’d use two layers of Teflon followed by pipe dope. The sprinkler fitters would use pipe dope followed by two layers of Teflon. My strong opinion, backed up by years of successful installations, is that Teflon by itself is an inferior sealant. It allows you to tighten further, which is advantageous, but does not fill imperfections in fittings well. It’s great for subsequent disassembly. You want a trouble free seal? Use Permatex 300 and assemble tightly - all the force you can exert, a foot of wrench per inch of pipe diameter. You ever think you’d want it apart? Do not use Permatex 300. Teflon and Rectorseal 5 is still my favorite.

Every RU-vid plumber I've seen has also used pipe dope.

Set your threader up to produce a 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 rotation thread insertion dry in a new USA fitting. Then you won’t need an additional dry check as long as you’re threading that size. Just tape , dope, assemble tight. (And if your joints don’t hurt, you’re just too young to understand.)

too much

It's just a little extra insurance against a big insurance claim. Makes it easier to tighten fittings too.

Personally I don't like dope. It hardens so that it becomes impossible to make alterations later. But if you expect the connection to be permanent, that's probably fine. It will be permanent.

Glad it was helpful!

Tape is for sealing, do the research.

@@WesB1972 you should take your own advice and stop giving out bad information.

​@@Alansdadude If tape was just for lubrication then you could put a little oil on the threads and force them together with a big enough wrench. But in the real world, that pretty much never works. In many cases you'll split the pipe or fitting before it ever seals up the threads all the way. In the real world, tape and dope are both designed and labeled as sealants. Basically every tape manufacturer even calls it a sealant on the roll (which you can even see in this video). What makes you think you know better than them? The roots and crests of the threads will pretty much never match up perfectly, even with tapered threads. Sealants fix that. Take the other guy's advice and stop spreading bad information. Whoever told you tape isn't a sealant didn't know what they were talking about, simple as that.

@@PGspeed88 you just aren’t right. Sorry. It can work, this is a forgiving application. Teflon tapes intent is lubrication to allow intimate thread contact. No, oil won’t work. It gets squeezed out and you lose the layer oil needs. Tape has less ptfe. Dope has more. There are tapes with more ptfe for use in diesel applications or natural gas, but home depot white tape is a thread lubricant to allow the threads to make intimate contact. Can you layer it 25 times and get enough ptfe do help “seal”? Yes it’s a forgiving application and there is some ptfe in tape. But thread sealing tape means tape which helps threads seal to each other… by lubrication. The ideal way is dope if you want to “seal” beyond what threads can achieve, like damaged threads. I’ve dealt with tons of damaged threads. Tape sucks (because that’s not what it’s made for) and dope rocks. For your house you can get by with just one. For hundreds of black pipe fittings like a sprinkler system, dope is the business. Tape will lead to leaks even in new pipe fittings with black Pipe (I’ve seen it with my own eyes) and dope ends up sealing really well. How many miles of sprinkler pipe have you accepted for new construction? It’s not a life changing thing, use enough tape you can make things work anywhere. But the misinformation is what you are saying, not me. Does it matter that much? Not really, you’re still wrong though.

​@@Alansdadude All you're doing is proving that you don't undertamd how this stuff works. Tape a thread. Assemble it like normal and check for leaks. Take it apart and remove the tape. Reassemble to the same thread depth and add a 1/4 turn or so. It will leak, I just about guarantee it. Take it apart, retape it and then go to the same thread depth as the previous time and it will seal. Because tape is a sealant. Again, if it weren't then you could just brute force every pipe together dry and it would work fine, but it doesn't. But I suspect you're so hard headed that you won't even try this and will stick to your bad information that's not based in reality. Or maybe you're the type to lie and say you did and got the opposite results, but I don't want to assume that ill of you when all I really know about you is you're stubbornly wrong about things.

Yeah, west coaster here and I laughed when he said gas was too dangerous to work on. I didn't know it was an New England bias.

Limited pipelines up there so almost no gas.

I beg to differ Last year I was in a house that exploded I'm in heaven now So I'm fine

Not only that, but for natural gas to be concentrated enough to be dangerous, it would literally make you puke or pass out. Houses that have exploded from a gas leak have been either vacant at the time, or, the leak was LP gas which is a lot heavier than air, so if there's a propane leak in a house with a big basement, the gas can build up in the basement with only a faint smell on the 2nd floor, until that gas finds an ignition source, then boom. Natural gas is slightly less dense than air, so it kind of floats around all over the place and it's quite easy to smell it.

Is LVL= Lower Flammable Limit and UFL= Upper Flammable Limit ?

These are all fantastic points! Thank you for sharing

The primary function of the tape is for lubrication, to allow the joint to be tightened properly without the threads seizing up or catching.

@@brnmcc01 Yep. Especially needed for stainless to keep from seizing. This would be the 3rd reason, but was covered in the video

It does prevent seizing, but it is not the primary purpose of the tape. It is a thread sealant first and foremost. It is referred to as "Thread Sealing PTFE Tape" in the teflon industry.

@@WillemFick Agreed. That is why I called it a "second function"

Dope is almost mostly lubricant.

No dope is the sealant. It has a high enough ptfe content to seal well. Tape is the lubricant. It has very low ptfe content (although yellow tape has more). Seriously just google “tape vs dope” ok. Stop passing the bad info.

Wrong, do the research. It is a pipe sealer.

@@Alansdadude wrong.

@@WesB1972 WRONG do the research it’s a thread lubricant that allows the threads to seal. Do tHe rEsEarCH

Was going to say the same. Also i was taught to lightly scratch across a few of brass fitting threads ( a hacksaw blade works well), which gives some burrs to hold tape while getting started wrapping, makes tensioning it easy. Not tried the loctite 55 cord myself, but used to use Loctite 567 a fair bit( off white paste in a tube). I also have used never seize at times. Another product we used (sometimes with hemp) was called X-pando, a grey powder you mix with water to make a paste, which expands with curing (boiler fittings etc), takes a good few sharp smacks to undo any fittings again later. .

So glad it was helpful. Thank you

Glad to help!